Bangkok--22 Aug--BSA Businesses using unlicensed software are about to experience significant new risks of enforcement action as the Business Software Alliance (BSA) prepares to double its rewards for people who report illegal software use at the corporate level. BSA announced today the increase of its hotline anti-piracy reward from 250,000 Baht to 500,000 Baht. From today to September 30, 2008, concerned software users who call the BSA hotline to provide information that leads to the successful action against business organizations using pirated or unlicensed software will be eligible for the new cash reward. The hotline number is 02-711-6193. Caller identities are protected. “Anyone who calls the hotline to report unlicensed software use is eligible —but the bigger the company accused of illegal use, the better,” said Tarun Sawney, BSA’s Director — Anti Piracy, Asia. “It’s not important who calls the hotline. The key is to have good information. It could be an employee, a vendor, even someone completely outside the company. Whoever has accurate information about unlicensed software use will be rewarded.” The announcement is part of BSA’s strategy to combat software piracy in Thailand. Under current copyright laws in Thailand, companies and senior managers face fines of up to 800,000 Baht and/or jail terms of up to 4 years; notwithstanding civil damages. Guidelines are available for business executives at www.bsa.org regarding software laws and compliance. Thailand’s software piracy rate is currently 78%, and the subject of much discussion as Thailand’s piracy rate ranks among the highest in the region. BSA applauds efforts of the police and the Department of Intellectual Property. This year police have raided dozens of companies and the Department of Intellectual Property has conducted extensive outreach under a national software anti-piracy campaign. However, more consistency would be helpful in strengthening intellectual property protection, says the BSA. “We were pleased to see the recent clamp down on software piracy,” said Sawney. “However, we hope to see Thai authorities’ dedication to protecting intellectual property rights with the same fervor all year round.” About BSA The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world. BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce. BSA worldwide members include Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Bentley Systems, Borland, CNC Software/Mastercam, Corel, CyberLink, McAfee, Microsoft, Monotype Imaging, PTC, Quark, Quest Software, Siemens, Dassault Syst?mes SolidWorks Corporation, Sybase, Symantec and The MathWorks. BSA regional members in Asia include Agilent Technologies, Altium, Frontline PCB Solutions - An Orbotech Valor Company, Mindjet, Minitab, SPSS, Tekla and Trend Micro. BSA local affiliates include Thai Software Enterprise.